Siding with the enemy: Amr Diab accused of working with Israel

The Egyptian megastar is attacked in the press by a former colleague who calls for others to boycott Amr in the future.

Amr Diab is known as an international star[2] but he is still very close to his Arab roots so it came as a shock this week when one of his former colleagues claimed he was cozying up to an Israeli businessman. The attack on Amr appeared in Egyptian newspaper, 'Al Masri al Yawm', when poet, Ayman Bahjat Qamar, gave an interview to reporters.

The poet accused Amr of selling song rights to Robert Mardoukh, an Israeli businessman with shares in giant Arab music production company, Rotana. Now poet, Ayman has gone on the warpath, slating Amr to anyone who will listen.

“I decided with Amro Mustafa and Mohammad Yahia not to work with Amr Diab in his upcoming album[3], and I advise all my young musician friends not to sign the special propriety rights condition in the contracts for the production company ‘Rotana’”, Ayman wrote on his Facebook wall.

The angry poet also claimed that 'Rotana' had been trying to take control of Arab artists' songs since Robert Mardoukh became a partner: “We warned of this situation, but the singers signed with ‘Rotana’ did not support us because they are looking after their own financial benefits,” he told reporters at 'Al Masri al Yawm'.

So far Amr has not commented on the allegations but we are eagerly awaiting round two in the battle of the musical heavyweights.